I have to admit it, I'm an advertisers dream. Nothing hooks me in like a sexy sales pitch and some good design. Having resisted the Ab-Circle Pro, the Laser Steam Mop and numerous effort saving kitchen devices of late when my trusty Sennheiser's gave up the ghost I began a search for a new pair of headphones.
The usual suspects got lots of mentions from mates I asked, Technics the new version of my old Sennheiser's, even Sony got a nod... but I wasn't sold on any. But then... and I'm not sure how I found the site now... I stumbled upon AIAIAI and there collaborative production of the TMA-1 headphones. Given I love good design, and that they had it in bundles and the fact this was a different kind of product it wasn't a hard sell. There's plenty of reviews on the web detailing what the spec sheet and product guide tell you, and after watching a load of videos, reading lots of reviews and the site itself I took the plunge and parted with 180 Euro's for these minimal, monolith beauties.
TMA-1 cutdown B/W from AIAIAI on Vimeo.
"The TMA-1 takes its name from a magnetic anomaly in Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the designers hoping to replicate the durability of the underground monolith that created the disturbance in the novel. This should come as good news to DJs who've gone through multiple pairs in the past due to inevitable mishaps in the booth. The new cans boast a frequency response of 20Hz - 20.000Hz.
The TMA-1 has also been designed alongside Tomas Barfod AKA Tomboy of WhoMadeWho, and Fredski, who together run the Tartelet label. With the help of the Tartelet guys, they've managed to rope in a diverse array of product testers, with Kode9, Michael Mayer, Erol Alkan, Flying Lotus, Matthew Dear, Pilooski, Luciano, Hudson Mohawke and DFA's James Murphy all giving their feedback and advice along the way."
But what did I make of them this weekend when they arrived?
Okay, so I was attracted by the minimal look, the matt black coating, the lack of logo's all over the place and the attention to detail in the design process. Changeable ear cups, a slim headband, and the packaging! But perhaps my most liked feature was the sound. Mixing in them is like having a finely tuned connection with the decks. Get the beats in sync and it's like hitting the sweet spot on a golf ball - it actually sounds different - something my good old Sennheiser's never gave me. The definition is great, even with the monitors turned up to floor shaking levels the TMA-1 performs superbly.
That warm tone to the bass certainly doesn't swamp the vocals or other mid-range frequencies either, percussion remains snappy and punchy.
That warm tone to the bass certainly doesn't swamp the vocals or other mid-range frequencies either, percussion remains snappy and punchy.
One of the most infuriating design faults in my old headphone was probably more to do with my 16 inch neck, but slip the phones around your neck and I felt like I was in some kind of neck brace. The TMA-1's design has plenty of space to turn your head without fuss, the single chord has both a coiled and straight section, meaning it's not tripping you up all the time or getting tangled, but extends when needed. I have a slight concern it might catch a job wheel at times, but this is most likely to do with me getting used to them than anything else.
The package comes complete with dual jacks. The nice bit here is they actually screw into each other, so it popping off in a snug fitting port is unlikely - not that, that has happened to me, but the fact it's not the norm was something I liked.
The instructions are nice too - in both design layout and simplicity - not that headphones need a lot of instruction - do they? But it all helps when you've paid out for a nice new pair of headphones and they match up to expectation. Right I'm off to play with them some more!
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